Culture, Politics, Etc.

Dear Senator Merkley: For God’s Sake. Help

Dear Senator Merkley,

After President Trump’s disastrous summit with Russian Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, I contacted my congressman, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, asking him to immediately draw up articles of impeachment against the president. I said in my letter:

…our president betrayed his oath by openly pledging his fealty, trust, and service to an antagonist state that deliberately took aim at our democracy. Call me crazy, but when our founders granted Congress the power of impeachment, I’m pretty sure they were thinking about a scenario that looks an awful lot like this one.

Today I called the congressman’s office and was dismayed to learn that Rep. Blumenauer will not be pursuing impeachment because “the votes are not there.” This misses the larger point: by drawing up articles of impeachment, we make the Constitutional and moral argument for impeachment. We are invited onto cable news programs, we make our case to the American people, and we use the impeachment argument as a spearhead for a long and sustained strategic attack. This is is the kind of strategy that the right has employed to achieve remarkable political success – success that stands in stark contrast to their relatively small numbers. Rep. Blumeauer’s aid couldn’t even articulate the congressman’s strategy in moving forward. It was a depressing conversation.

Senator Merkley, you’ve consistently shown that you’re willing to move ahead of the pack and take risks in the name of progressive leadership. Will you, publicly and immediately, urge the House of Representatives to draw up articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump? And will you call upon the Oregon congressional delegation to take a lead on this matter? It’s hardly an overstatement to say that we are in the midst of a constitutional crisis. The Democratic Party must take bold and immediate steps to become the protagonist in this unfolding political narrative and earn its way back to power.

My letter to the congressman is attached and below. Thanks so much for your time and your service. I sincerely look forward to hearing from you.